An agent unit is a device that receives from a supervised object operational information that includes a first object specific protocol and converts this information into at least one message which is sent to a superior supervising means with a second supervising specific protocol. One such second protocol is for instance SNMP, and one such first protocol is for instance MML that is used between an agent unit and a telephone exchange.
A relatively modern supervising system in this technology is a supervising system in which objects may be coupled in some form of network and wherein one such system may include a superior supervising means, normally referred to as manager or system manager that is connected to one or more agent units, each of which functions to supervise at least one object. The agent units are able to send to the superior supervising means messages that concern the objects under their supervision. The agent units are able to send the messages on their own initiative or when requested to do so. Thus, an agent unit is a unit that possesses some intelligence and may warn the superior supervising means of a fault in the supervised object. This type of supervising system is beneficial when a superior supervising means is to supervise, or monitor, many objects. The use of agent units lightens the load on the superior supervising means. One such system is described in EP-A2-0 621 706, for instance.
It is possible in many contexts that there may exist a second supervising means of a different, normally older type, which is connected to the object and requires therefrom operational information that includes the first object specific protocol. It is therefore of interest to interconnect two such mutually different supervising means such as to obtain one single supervising system. The second, older supervising means, which is often connected directly to the object, or through the medium of a modem, communicates, however, with the object with the first object specific protocol and not with the second supervising specific protocol, and consequently incorporation of the second supervising means cannot be achieved in a simple manner.
Described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,433 is a computer system which performs supervising functions with respect to system components, wherein one component is comprised of supervisory software. In this case, two different supervising specific protocols, management protocols, are used in one agent, which is also software, for supervising an object so as to facilitate supervising from two different superior supervising means. Both of these protocols are of the second type that is used for communication between agent and superior supervising means.